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Scottish Government funding and grant making is allocated across portfolios to various parts of the third sector to improve a wide range of outcomes. Some Scottish Government funding will be issued through third sector intermediary organisations.

Funding allocated to the third sector is not always specifically classified as such. Consequently, the information requested is not available.

Scottish Government funding and grant making is allocated across portfolios to various parts of the third sector to improve a wide range of outcomes. Some Scottish Government funding will be issued through third sector intermediary organisations.

Funding allocated to the third sector is not always specifically classified as such. Consequently, the information requested is not available.

Historic real terms cuts to our block grant from the UK Government have put pressure on our capital budget and the delay in the UK Government setting the Autumn budget is having a knock-on effect on our planning.

As a result of budget constraints, in December 2023, all NHS Boards were advised to pause development of all projects not already in construction.

We are currently working with all NHS Health Boards to develop a whole system NHS infrastructure plan to inform long-term investment priorities across Scotland – this includes consideration of National Treatment Centres.

The requested information on how many working days have been lost in the NHS in the last five years due to staff stress and other mental health conditions is not held centrally.

A commitment to a round-the-clock thrombectomy service was set out in our Stroke Improvement Plan and this remains our aim for the thrombectomy service in Scotland.

NHS National Services Division have been commissioned by Scottish Government to lead on the development of a national thrombectomy service and have undertaken work to establish the current position of thrombectomy services. A task and finish group has been established, to undertake an assessment of updated capacity and analysis of clinical, operational, financial and workforce challenges to inform work on increasing provision.

Included in this will be to steps to benchmark against NHS England and international models.

Prioritising the mental wellbeing of health and care professionals, including nurses, midwives and other frontline NHS staff, is vital to help them to navigate complex challenges and continue to provide person-centred, high-quality support. The Scottish Government are supporting staff throughout the NHS through funding of over £2.5m annually to support staff wellbeing.

This funding provides our workforce with access to psychological interventions and therapies, self-service resources through the National Wellbeing Hub and the National Wellbeing Helpline delivered by NHS 24. Registered staff also have access to confidential mental health services through the Workforce Specialist Service (WSS).

Further, the national ‘Supporting Work Life Balance’ workforce policies provide staff with a range of flexible working options to help them to balance their lifestyle, to improve their mental wellbeing, whilst maintaining and promoting the best possible service to our patients and service users.

The Scottish Government actively works with stakeholders to support and enhance workforce wellbeing. In September, National Wellbeing Week, delivered by our National Wellbeing Champions Network with Scottish Government support, provided healthcare staff with valuable tools, practical insights and positive mental health benefits.

The requested information on what the total financial cost has been of staff absences related to stress, anxiety and depression in NHS Scotland since 1 January 2020 is not held centrally.

The Scottish Funding Council’s (SFC) College Infrastructure Strategy (CIS) sets out the SFC’s approach to determining future investment in Scotland’s college estate and other college infrastructure. The SFC has been engaging closely with the college sector to deliver the CIS. This Strategy sets out the collective approach between SFC and colleges to develop a 10 year College Infrastructure Investment Plan which is due to be published in autumn 2026.

That plan will consider the size and shape of the college estate, taking account of future ways of working, different delivery methods, opportunities for collaboration and changing curricula. It will also consider the net zero credentials and the digital infrastructure, as well as the fabric.

It will also identify investment needs, which includes investment for net zero, training equipment and digital needed for a sustainable college estate to deliver good outcomes for students, staff and communities.

Decisions made by the UK Government since the financial crash in 2008, and their overall austerity policy position since 2010, continue to have a profound and negative impact on the finances available to the Scottish Government, the economy, and to the college sector. In recent years this challenging scenario has been exacerbated by increased national insurance costs, high energy costs and high inflation.

Rising national insurance contributions have added over £11 million of extra cost on to our colleges. The Scottish Government is seeking to mitigate the impact of these costs by providing an additional £5.5 million in this current financial year, but the added costs to our public sector from increased national insurance contributions are not helping us to realise our potential for economic growth.

We recognise the pressures facing the college sector, which have been set out clearly by both Audit Scotland and the Scottish Funding Council (SFC), and I will continue to work collaboratively with the college sector on those challenges.

The Scottish Government has not considered the potential impact of removing Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT) on the purchase of a primary residence and has no plans to remove any element of the tax.

Removing any element of LBTT would result in less funding being available to support public services in Scotland. In 2024-25 for example, £899m was raised from total LBTT, resulting in a net positive contribution to the Scottish Budget of £274 million.